


We'll Always Have Paris

by Velichorr



Category: Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25535080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velichorr/pseuds/Velichorr
Summary: A young cinema owner and a film student meet in Paris. But is it the first time they've met?
Relationships: Shosanna Dreyfus/Fredrick Zoller
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	We'll Always Have Paris

_After all, for any true cinema lover, it's hard to hate anybody who, CINEMA MON AMOUR._  
  
-Inglourious Basterds screenplay  
  
  
  


  
Shosanna would never forget the day she met Fredrick Zoller. It was one of those perfect, sunny, summer days. She walked through the grounds of the Luxembourg Palace, surrounded by landscaped green lawns and cheerful flowers. Tourists strolled slowly through the grounds, admiring the scenery, or sat in the green park chairs. Children raced toy sailboats on the nearby pond.

“Lovely day, isn’t it?” A male voice came from behind her.

Shosanna turned around, just a bit startled. A young man stood there, with a boyish, mischievous, look on his face. He seemed to be around her own age- twenty-six. He had slightly-unkempt brown hair, and strangely intense brown eyes. He was dressed casually, in street clothes.

“I suppose so.” She replied, a bit coldly. “You’ll have to forgive me, I’m not used to being accosted by handsome strangers….” She dryly remarked, slowly walking away from him.

He followed her.

“I’m truly sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He cleared his throat. “My name is Fredrick Zoller, and you are?”

 _So he’s German._ Shoshanna raised an eyebrow slightly, intrigued. Even if his name hadn’t given him away, he spoke French with a German accent. She could already tell he wasn’t from around here.

“Shosanna Dreyfus.” She said slowly.

“Shosanna…” he murmured. “That’s a beautiful name. It is an honor to meet you, Shosanna. And what brings you to the Luxembourg Gardens?”

Shosanna shrugged. “I try to come here every weekend. It’s a good place to relax. To get away from everything. Living in the city can be…Stressful.” She admitted. _Why am I saying this to a man I just met?_

But Fredrick only nodded, like he understood. “Understandable. What do you do for a living, Shosanna? As for me, well, I’m just a film student enjoying his Paris holiday.” He flashed her his most disarming smile.

Shosanna began walking just ahead of him, alongside the pond. The sun shone down on the water. In the background, she could hear children laughing, and the subdued conversations of adults.

“I own an independent cinema in the Latin Quarter.” She said matter-of-factly.

“Do you really?!” Fredrick laughed.

Shosanna suddenly stopped walking. Planted her hands on her hips. She gave him a look that was almost playful. “Yes, I do. And if you’re such a great lover of cinema, perhaps you should stop by sometime.” She teased.

“Who knows? Maybe I will…” Fredrick said with a smirk. “Alas, I must be going. I have a very busy day planned. But it would be lovely if we could meet again sometime. Do some sightseeing. You’d make a great tour guide…”

“Goodbye, Fredrick. It was very nice meeting you.” She strode off, pretending not to hear a single word he had said.

Fredrick was never far from Shosanna’s thoughts that day. She didn’t know why he had made such an impression on her. She almost felt like she knew him from somewhere, long ago. It was the strangest feeling. A vague, hazy, sense of déjà vu. She had never felt anything like it before. But of course, that was impossible. Still, she couldn’t ignore this feeling, whatever it was.

It also didn’t help that they kept running into each other. At the Louvre. On the Champs-Elysees. Even browsing the books at Shakespeare and Company. Truth be told, she found him annoying. But he _was_ charming. Handsome, too. She would give him that much.

One day, Shosanna’s patience finally wore out. She threw up her hands and said in exasperation: “ _Why_ do I keep running into you?! I want nothing to do with you!”

And he only smiled and said: “Maybe the universe brought us together for a reason.”

She shook her head. “You are impossible.”

Before Fredrick walked away, he told her: “We are drawn to each other, for some reason. It’s very strange. I don’t understand it myself.”

Shosanna thought about that as they parted. And she realized- as much as she hated to admit it- he was right. Try as she might, she was attracted to him, even if part of her found him insufferable. It was not a great position to be in. Over time, she found herself slowly opening up to him.

They went on dates at street cafés. They visited the underground catacombs, which Fredrick found fascinating. “You are so morbid.” Shosanna scolded him. They sat in the green chairs in the Luxembourg Gardens and talked about film for hours. 2001: A Space Odyssey. Battleship Potemkin. Breathless. They discussed everything from German Expressionism and French New Wave to modern blockbusters. It was almost like being with an old friend.

Shosanna felt a connection to him- and not just because of their shared love of film. He had reached a place in her she couldn’t name. Brought out a side of her she’d never shown anyone else. What if this went beyond infatuation? What if it was something deeper, more serious? That’s what she was afraid of.

One day, as they were finishing one of their long conversations, Fredrick stood up to leave. Today was his last day in France. Tomorrow, he would fly home to Munich. Shosanna hurried after him.

“Fredrick, wait…There’s something I need to tell you.” She said, trying to hide her desperation.

Fredrick stopped walking. He looked at her curiously. “What is it?”

Shosanna took a deep breath. Looking into his eyes, she said in a low voice: “I think…I think I’m in love with you.”

Fredrick just stared at her. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. When he recovered, he said quietly: “I feel the same. Actually, I think I’ve been in love with you for a long time.”

They looked at each other for a long time. They both wanted to kiss so badly, but they didn’t. Not in public. Not with so many people watching. Instead, they settled on a hug. Shosanna buried her face in Fredrick’s shoulder, wanting the moment to last as long as possible.

The next day, she went with him to De Gaulle to say goodbye. They stood together in the crowded airport, in the sea of travelers coming and going.

“I don’t want this to be goodbye.” Shosanna whispered. She let herself be vulnerable with him. It was cruel and ironic, that they had to part just after they found each other.

“It’s not goodbye. This is just the beginning.” Fredrick assured her. Without another word, he took her in his arms and kissed her. He very gently brushed his lips against hers. At first, she was left stunned. Breathless. She returned his kiss, hesitantly at first, then with more intensity. She had never wanted anything as much as she wanted him in that moment. Her heart raced, and she was lost in pleasure and longing.

And then Fredrick had to hurry off, because he didn’t want to miss his flight. Parting was difficult for both of them. They exchanged contact information and promised to stay in touch.

As Shosanna left the airport, she felt optimistic about their future together. The distance was challenging, but they would find a way to make it all work. She felt hopeful. Fredrick was right, this was the beginning. The beginning of everything.

**Author's Note:**

> I have such conflicting feelings about Zoller as a character. There are times he seems like a nice, normal, young man- almost someone I want to sympathize with- and sometimes he's just an asshole. Of course, I lost all sympathy for him when he went 'If I can't have you, no one can' on Shosanna. But Tarantino DID say that if they met at any other time, they would have been lovers. There's something tragic about that, and I decided to take that idea and run with it. Are Shosanna and Fredrick reincarnated? I decided to keep it ambiguous. Regardless, I hope I kept these two in-character! There's so little Shosanna/Fredrick on here, and I wanted to add my own contribution.


End file.
